Can I shock you? Roberto Martinez never underachieved with Belgium’s golden generation

Roberto Martinez's tenure as Belgium manager has faced intense scrutiny, yet the narrative of underachievement deserves closer examination. While the Spanish coach guided Belgium to a World Cup semifinal in 2018—their best result in 32 years—expectations surrounding a squad boasting Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Jan Vertonghen may have spiraled beyond realistic parameters. Martinez inherited a talented but structurally flawed unit with defensive vulnerabilities that no tactical system could entirely resolve. The team's 2018 campaign demonstrated progress, reaching the semifinals before losing to France, a squad that ultimately won the tournament with superior depth and balance throughout their formation.

Belgium's golden generation faced inherent limitations that extended beyond managerial decisions. The squad's imbalance became evident through their statistical performance: while possessing world-class attacking talent with De Bruyne's creative output and Hazard's goal-scoring prowess, the defensive midfield remained inconsistent, and the backline struggled with positional discipline. Between 2016 and 2020, Belgium won 22 of 36 matches under Martinez, maintaining an impressive 61% win rate despite competing against elite European sides. Their 2016 Euro campaign saw them eliminated in the group stage, yet by 2018, they advanced further than nations with comparable talent pools. The Euro 2020 tournament exposed persistent structural weaknesses when Belgium fell to Italy in the quarterfinals, but this reflected squad composition rather than tactical failure.

Martinez's legacy with Belgium illustrates the complex relationship between manager responsibility and player-dependent systems. His departure in 2022 following Nations League relegation marked the end of an era that produced tangible success despite resource constraints. Roberto Martinez subsequently took the Portugal job, demonstrating continued trust from elite federations. Belgium's subsequent performance under Domenico Tedesco yielded marginal improvements, winning only 40% of matches in early qualifying cycles. The Martinez era ultimately delivered a semifinal appearance from a squad whose structural deficiencies—rather than coaching incompetence—limited championship aspirations during their prime years.